Staff Profile

Career Summary

Biography

Mitchell Hobbs completed his undergraduate education at La Trobe University, Australia, where he studied Sociology, Politics and Psychology. His PhD in Sociology was awarded by the University of Newcastle, Australia, in 2010, with his doctoral dissertation, "Paper Cuts: Media Bias, the Iraq War and the Politics of Rupert Murdoch", being praised for its contribution to the fields of media sociology and communication studies. In January 2011, Mitchell Hobbs left the University of Newcastle in order to work as a Media and Stakeholder Electorate Officer to Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the Member for Lalor. In March 2012, he returned to the University, so as to continue his career in teaching and research.

Qualifications

PhD, University of Newcastle, 17/06/2010

Bachelor of Arts (Honours), La Trobe University, 13/03/2004

Research

Research keywords

Advertising

Cultural politics

Media ownership and control

Political communication

Public policy

Semiotics

Social theory

Sociology

Research expertise

Mitchell Hobbs’ research interests and contributions to sociology fall into four main areas: media sociology (with a particular focus on media power and the political economy of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation); socio-cultural theories of identity; semiotics; and the practices and consequences of political communication. His research has been published in national and international journals, and has been recognised for making both empirical and theoretical contributions to the fields of media studies, sociology and cultural studies.

Languages

English

Fields of Research

Code

Description

Percentage

160800

Sociology

75

200199

Communication And Media Studies Not Elsewhere Classified

25

Memberships

Body relevant to professional practice.

Member - The Australian Sociological Association

Teaching

Teaching keywords

Culture and Identity

Media Ownership and Control

Media and Society

Social Research Methods

Society and Culture

Teaching expertise

Mitchell Hobbs has taught several hundred students in the following subjects:

Book (1 outputs)

Journal article (5 outputs)

Year

Citation

Altmetrics

Link

2013

McKnight D, Hobbs MJ, 'Public Contest through the Popular Media: The Mining Industry's Advertising War against the Australian Labor Government', Australian Journal of Political Science, 48 307-319 (2013) [C1]